Bratton's Gone, Mayor to Announce Pick Tuesday
Bratton's last day includes a ceremonial passing of the stars
By JOHN ADAMS and JONATHAN LLOYD
Updated 6:53 AM PST, Mon, Nov 2, 2009
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The mayor's choice for the next chief of the Los Angeles Police Department will be announced Tuesday.
Outgoing police Chief Bill Bratton handed over his stars and his office keys in a ceremony symbolizing the end of his seven years at the Los Angeles Police Department.
The 1:30 p.m. ritual was billed by the LAPD as Bratton's "final act as a sworn member of the Los Angeles Police Department before assuming his new role as a civilian in the private sector."
Bratton gave his Chief's Stars and his keys to recently named Interim Chief Michael Downing. The event will be held in the chief's office on the 10th floor of the new LAPD headquarters.
On Aug. 5, Bratton announced his resignation and surprised many, including Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, as Bratton was only two years into his second term as Los Angeles' police chief.
"When you love what you do, when you love the people you get to do it with, when you love where you do it, there is never a good time to leave, but there is a right time," Bratton said when he announced the resignation Wednesday afternoon at City Hall. "And for me personally and professionally at this time, it is the right time."
The final three candidates chosen unanimously by the Police Commission are Deputy Chief Charles Beck, Asst. Chief Jim McDonnell and Deputy Chief Michel Moore.
In a recent article, "LAPD Chief Candidates Are Far From Three of a Kind" the Los Angeles Times documented the vast differences in the leadership styles of the three candidates.
"One of the strengths that they all share is that they are their own person," Bratton told the Times reporter. "They have their own ideas."
As soon as the mayor announces his nominee, the city council must vote whether or not to confirm the mayor's choice. The earliest that could happen is Nov. 10.
"The mayor has a tough decision ahead because he has three great candidates," Bratton said. "I've worked with all of them for the last seven years -- all of them are intimately involved in the reformation of the LAPD and our movement forward. They're very intimate with what has occurred. They were instrumental in how they occurred."
Bratton said he won't be wasting any time as he will board a plane to New York City on Sunday morning, and begin his new job on Monday.
Copyright City News Service / NBC Los Angeles
First Published: Oct 31, 2009 3:03 PM PST
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